Available evidence from randomized controlled trials including adult critically ill patients tends to show that percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) techniques are performed faster and reduce stoma inf...

Shift work can disturb circadian homeostasis and result in fatigue, excessive sleepiness, and reduced quality of life. Light therapy has been shown to impart positive effects in night shift workers. We sought ...

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains a major cause of death worldwide. Mechanisms underlying the detrimental outcome despite adequate antibiotic therapy and comorbidity management are still not fully und...

Given the pathophysiological key role of the host response to an infection rather than the infection per se, an ideal therapeutic strategy would also target this response. This study was designed to demonstrat...

Intensive care unit (ICU) outcome prediction models, such as Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE), were designed in general critical care populations and their use in obstetric populations i...

The burgeoning literature on vitamin D deficiency and supplementation over the past decade or so has generated a greater understanding of some areas but also an appreciation of the many areas of equipoise. Thi...

The combination of thiamine, ascorbic acid, and hydrocortisone has recently emerged as a potential adjunctive therapy to antibiotics, infectious source control, and supportive care for patients with sepsis and...

Critical illness results in millions of deaths each year. Care for those with critical illness is often neglected due to a lack of prioritisation, co-ordination, and coverage of timely identification and basic...

Pathogenic enteric bacteria aspirated from the oropharynx are the main cause of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Using chlorhexidine (CHX) orally or selective decontamination has been shown to reduce VAP...

Sepsis is a life-threatening medical emergency requiring early diagnosis and urgent treatment. Knowledge is crucial, especially in major risk groups such as the elderly. We therefore assessed sophisticated kno...

Diabetes mellitus is a common co-existing disease in the critically ill. Diabetes mellitus may reduce the risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), but data from previous studies are conflicting. The...

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a cardiorespiratory support technique for patients with circulatory or pulmonary failure. Frequently, large-volume fluid resuscitation is needed to ensure sufficie...

Platelet transfusions carry greater risks of infection, sepsis, and death than any other blood product, owing primarily to bacterial contamination. Many patients may be at particular risk, including critically...

Sepsis and related multiple organ dysfunction result in high morbidity and mortality. Angiotensin (Ang)-(1–7), a biologically active peptide, has various opposing effects of Ang II. Because the effect of Ang-(...

Recent randomized trials have not found that polymyxin B hemoperfusion (PMX-HP) improves outcomes for patients with sepsis. However, it remains unclear whether the therapy could provide benefit for highly sele...

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) are major problems of public health in intensive care units (ICUs), occurring in 15% of critically ill patients. Among the facto...

The continuous administration of opioids in critical care patients is a common therapy for the tolerance of mechanical ventilation. Opioid choice has a crucial impact on the length of mechanical ventilation. O...

Sepsis is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is characterized by a dysregulated immune response to infections that results in life-threatening organ dysfunction and even death. ...

The rationale for the provision of nitrogen from proteins given via the enteral route or from intravenous amino acids is to boost the synthesis of muscle proteins, and thereby to limit the severity of intensiv...

Measurement of arterial pressure is one of the most basic elements of patient management. Arterial pressure is determined by the volume ejected by the heart into the arteries, the elastance of the walls of the...

In critical care when unconscious patients are assisted by machines, humanity is mainly ensured by respect for autonomy, realised through advance directives or, mostly, reconstructed by cooperation with relati...

Subsequent bloodstream infections (sBSI) occur with a delay after removal of the intravascular catheter (IVC) whose tip revealed microbial growth. Here we describe the epidemiology of sBSI in the intensive car...

Two recent publications by Sheikh and Horner and Teng et al. reviewed studies on incorporating vitamin C to treat septic patients; however, a meta-analysis was not offered in either report. This commentary ext...

Research on acute kidney injury (AKI) has focused on identifying early biomarkers. However, whether AKI could be diagnosed in the absence of the classic signs of clinical AKI and whether the condition of subcl...

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a severe complication of cirrhosis and is defined by organ failure and high rates of short-term mortality. Patients with ACLF are managed with multiorgan support in the...

This study investigated changes in plasma level of soluble endothelial protein C receptor (sEPCR) in association with outcome in patients with septic shock. We explored sEPCR for early sepsis prognosis assessm...

High noise levels in the intensive care unit (ICU) are a well-known problem. Little is known about the effect of noise on sleep quality in ICU patients. The study aim is to determine the effect of noise on sub...